Exclusive Use

More Information

Thank you for considering Moosilauke Ravine Lodge for your special event. The Lodge is very close to our hearts and we are honored that you have considered working with us. The Lodge was built in 1938 and opened in the winter of 1939 as a skiing destination just as skiing began to catch on in the United States. Although we now operate in the spring, summer and fall, the Lodge still reflects that basic hearty, rustic, outdoor-focused heritage. Note that the Lodge is not a venue intended for large events, so we have certain limitations and will not be able to accommodate every event request. Here are the basic parameters for use; within these parameters we look forward to working with you to make your event everything you want it to be.

Our Rates

Our rates are inexpensive compared to many other local facilities and reflect the fact that the Lodge is rustic, and run by a wonderful and ever-changing group of Dartmouth undergraduates and recent alums.

General Public groups: The minimum charges for exclusive use are: $3500 for Friday, $4500 for Saturday, $2500 for Sunday, and $2000 for midweek. The maximum you will be charged is the total of your room, board, services, linens, tax, and tip (18% for all served meals), or the minimum charge plus tax, whichever is greater. This includes all meals (except bagged lunches), services, and lodging you choose but does not include 9% NH Rooms and Meals Tax. The Lodge “day” runs from 10am to 10am.

Dartmouth Groups: The minimum charges for exclusive use are: $2500 for Friday, $3500 for Saturday, $1500 for Sunday, and $1000 for midweek. The maximum you will be charged is the total of your room, board, services, linens, tax, and tip (18% for all served meals), or the minimum charge, whichever is greater. This includes all meals, services, and lodging you choose. The Lodge “day” runs from 10am to 10am. A student event is one in which at least 90% of the attendees are students of Dartmouth College. You may be asked to put down a security and cleaning deposit on top of your regular deposit. Please note that any damage to the facility or additional cleaning required as a result of your event will result in additional fees.

Note that the Lodge is not a wedding venue and does not accept exclusive reservations for wedding receptions. If you would like to have a small ceremony at the Lodge, the Leach Field is available for rental.

Minimum and Maximum Size Groups

The smallest group that can reserve exclusive use is 40 people. If your party is less than 40, you will have an opportunity to meet wonderful new people, one of the highlights of any Lodge visit!

We can serve a seated family-style dinner to 96 people at once in our main room. If we are using buffet service, we can serve up to 112 people. If every bed in the Lodge and bunkhouses is filled, including two people per double bed, we can sleep 110. These really are our maximum numbers. We do not allow camping or pitching a tent of any kind.

Deposits and Cancellations

For exclusive use, we charge a deposit no matter the size of the group or whether or not it is a Dartmouth or public group. The deposit is $1000 for Friday and Saturday night events, and $750 for Sundays-Thursdays.

Cancellations made more than 6 weeks (43 days or more) in advance will be refunded the entire deposit. Cancellations made between 6 weeks but more than 3 weeks (42 to 21 days) in advance will be refunded half the deposit. Cancellations made less than 3 weeks (fewer than 21 days) in advance will forfeit the deposit.

We will need your final total number of guests the Monday a week or more before your event. This is because we order food on Tuesday (this may change during some times of the year — the manager will let you know when numbers are needed). We order and prepare food carefully to ensure that there is plenty for everyone with as little waste as possible. Please be as accurate as possible.

Food and Table Settings

Because of the tight quarters in our kitchen, we strictly do not allow caterers. Similarly, we do not allow rented china or glassware for space and breakage reasons, with the sole exception being champagne flutes.

Dinners at the lodge always consist of fresh, home-baked bread, homemade soup, a green salad, an entrée, side dish, and homemade dessert with coffee and tea. We can provide a vegetarian option if requested in advance. We have several popular menus for you to choose from and can work to accommodate various dietary needs. Please alert us well in advance of any allergies, especially life-threatening allergies, so that we can take the proper precautions when preparing your meal. Dinner is served at 6:30pm.

We provide water from our wonderful deep well just up the hill, and will provide milk on request at no extra charge. We also have a variety of sodas for sale. Guests are welcome to bring beer or wine to enjoy with their meal; however, the Lodge does not have a liquor license and the crew cannot serve alcoholic beverages for you. You are welcome to arrange for a bartender and we will work with him or her to set up a serving area. We do not keep ice on hand so please be sure to have your bartender bring it or arrange with us to buy a supply and add it to your bill.

How Dinner Is Served

Meals are served family style in courses. We start with the fresh bread, followed shortly by the famous tall pot of homemade soup served into individual bowls at each table by the crew. The soup course is followed by salad, served in salad bowls to be shared by each table. Next comes the entrée with a side dish, vegetarian options are often served on individual plates. Once all the guests have finished their meal and the crew has cleared the majority of the dishes, a crew member will welcome everyone to the Lodge, introduce the crew, and run through a few house rules as well as make any necessary announcements. Usually at this point the crew member will give a short talk on a topic of interest, which can be tailored to your group if you would like. This is also a good time to make toasts or short speeches. Directly following this “dinner talk”, dessert is served and coffee, decaf and tea are made available. Following dinner the crew will clear all remaining dishes and set up the main room for the evening program if you have scheduled one. This means asking dinner guests to move downstairs to the library or outside to take the air, so that the crew can move tables and sweep the floor efficiently. For a more formal event the guests can retire to the lounge in the basement for a reception. Please work with us so that we can get things set up as quickly as possibly for you. During this time we will also assist the band to set up and/or set up the speakers, a projection screen, or other requested items for your evening.

Breakfast at the Lodge is a patented anti-Atkins formula to keep you hiking all day. We start off with applesauce and steel-cut oatmeal with lots of raisins and brown sugar for your sprinkling pleasure. Hot breakfast food alternates between a) Scrambled eggs, a bread, muffin, or coffee cake and a breakfast meat; and b) Pancakes and a breakfast meat. And of course there is plenty of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice and milk. Breakfast is served at 7:30am.

Other services such as bagged or buffet lunches, coffee breaks, and receptions can be arranged on request.

We welcome you to decorate the Lodge and grounds. Poster-sized high school graduation pictures are great for a 50th birthday party, and potted flowers or balloons out at the turn off to the Ravine Road reassure guests they are on the right track. We do not recommend table decorations because of the size of the tables, but flowers and other decorations look great on the windowsills, side tables and fireplace mantel. We do not allow candles owing to the fire hazard. Please do not forget to take your decorations with you when you go.

Overnight Stays

We strongly recommend that if you have not stayed at the Lodge before, you spend an overnight with us to make sure our accommodations will work for your group, especially if you are bringing elderly people or small children. We have comfortable single, double and triple bunks, rooms of from 2 to 12 beds, and central shared bathrooms with showers. Rooms are unheated and have electricity but not plumbing. Bunks come with a mattress pad, pillow, fresh pillowcase, and blanket. Linens (two sheets and one towel) are available for $8 per set, or many people choose to bring their own linens or sleeping bag.

Pets

Although guests may bring their dogs to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, dogs (except service animals) are not allowed in the public or common areas of the main Lodge building itself or in bunkhouse or Lodge bedrooms shared with other parties. On the grounds of the Ravine Lodge, dogs must be on a leash. Please clean up after your dog and be sensitive to other guests who may feel differently about dogs than you do.

Hikers

The Lodge is a popular starting point for hikes and passers-by often stop to fill up waterbottles, use the restroom, or look at a map. During your exclusive use event signs will be posted informing people to use the lower entrance.

Evening Activities

The Lodge has a large projection screen for slides or movies, an amplifier, two large speakers, and at least one microphone that you are welcome to use to play live or canned music. We do not have a stereo for your use so please bring a device of your own with a rca stereo cord (the one that splits into two plugs, one red, one white); these can include iPods, MP3 players, compact disc players. etc. Often we can arrange for a slide projector. A digital projector may be available for guest use. We also have a piano for your tinkling enjoyment. We are happy to suggest bands, particularly contradance bands and callers. Since the crew lives in the Lodge, we ask that you wrap up your evening’s activity by 11pm, so they can get some sleep and cook you a good breakfast. Please speak with the manager if you would like to make other arrangements. We are full of ideas for great evening programming. Perhaps your group would like to hear the Lodge’s own ghost story told (although we do not recommend this for anyone of a feeble or weak constitution), learn more about the forest history of Mount Moosilauke, or have a sing-along.